On the Daily: Harbaugh joins chain gang

The undefeated, third-ranked Michigan football team may have had a bye-week this past weekend, but head coach Jim Harbaugh certainly wasn’t taking it easy.

On a recruiting trip to El Cerrito High School in California, Harbaugh attended a football game and worked on the ‘chain gang’ — assisting officials with the down markers — in exchange for a steak sandwich, the Detroit Free Press reported.

“The chain gang needed a guy and I was promised a tri-tip steak sandwich at halftime, that’s all I needed to hear,” Harbaugh said on Monday during his weekly press conference. “That was a lot of fun.”

Known for his unusual recruiting trips, Harbaugh has had sleepovers and climbed tees in the past in attempts to impress prospects. On this trip, Harbaugh visited four-star outside linebacker recruit Aaron Banks at El Cerrito High. He also announced the homecoming queen on Friday at Antioch High School in California where he was visiting the top prospect in the country, running back Najee Harris, ESPN reported.

Harbaugh’s enthusiasm for steak is also well documented. He posted a picture of himself and wife Sarah on twitter at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Ann Arbor last week, after a promotion gave customers a percentage off their final bill based on the Michigan football team’s margin of victory. Michigan defeated Rutgers 78-0, the largest margin of a victory since 1939, meaning the steakhouse offered customers the maximum of 50 percent off their bills during the following week.